How to Minimize Windows 7 Media Player WMP12 to Taskbar as Mini Toolbar

In Windows Vista with Windows Media Player 11 (WMP11), user can choose to enable Windows Media Player toolbar on Windows Taskbar as a mini toolbar or Taskband or Deskband, where user can directly access WMP controls and view song or music currently been played.

With the new programming directive from Microsoft for Windows 7 where icons replace buttons on Taskbar (which also makes MSN Windows Live Messenger does not minimize to notification tray), Windows Media Player 12 (WMP12) in Windows 7 does not have such an ability to minimize to mini toolbar in Taskbar.

Many people resorts to downgrade to Windows Media Player 11 from WMP 12 in Windows 7 in order to get back the WMP toolbar in Taskbar. But thanks to Justin Buser, who had posted a solution on WinMatrix forum, now Windows 7 users can get back the Windows Media Player toolbar for WMP12.

Here’s hack to re-enable Windows Media Player 12 toolbar in Taskbar of Windows 7, and how to enable the Windows Media Player 12 mini toolbar. Unfortunately, WMP icon or button does not hidden and made disappeared from Windows 7 Taskbar to replace with just a mini toolbar, although the toolbar itself already comes with play, pause, forward, backward, volume adjustment and other controls. Thus, it makes the toolbar for WMP12 kind of redundant.

1. Obtain a copy of wmpband.dll from Windows Vista at following location. wmpband.dll provides functionality of WMP toolbar or Taskband on Taskbar.

%ProgramFiles%\Windows Media Player\wmpband.dll

The file should be copied from a comptuer with the same operating system type or architecture, i.e. 32-bit versus 64-bit. Alternatively, just download the following pre-extracted wmpband.dll from the following ZIP archive:

32-bit: wmpband-x86.zip
64-bit: wmpband-x64.zip
2. Copy the wmpband.dll into %ProgramFiles%\Windows Media Player\ folder of Windows 7 (with WMP12).
3. Go to Control Panel -> System and Security -> Administrative Tools, and open Services panel.
4. Stop the Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service.

# Open a command prompt as administrator.
# Run and execute the following command:

regsvr32 “%ProgramFiles%\Windows Media Player\wmpband.dll”
# Restart the Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service.
# Start Windows Media Player 12.
# Minimize the window of Windows Media Player.
# Right click on Windows Taskbar, and select Toolbars, and choose Windows Media Player from the list (a tick will appear beside it on subsequent view).

# The Windows Media Player toolbar will appear close to notification area (system tray).

# For user facing the following error message, just click on “Yes” to continue:

The Windows Media Player toolbar isn’t compatible with this version of Windows

If you continue, the toolbar might appear incorrectly. To check for an updated version, go to the software publisher’s website.

Do you want this toolbar on your taskbar?

Tip: If there is problem enabling the Windows Media Player 12 toolbar in Windows 7, try to perform the steps above again after a clean reboot and before running Windows Media Player.

source: mydigitallife.info

How to Uninstall and Re-Install Windows Media Player 12 (WMP12) in Windows 7

Windows Media Player 12 (WMP12) is the default and factory-installed media player that comes with Windows 7, and WMP12 does not have standalone setup installer available for free download.

As such, Windows 7 users cannot uninstall and install Windows Media Player 12 manually. In fact, there is no entry of WMP12 in “Programs and Features” that allows uninstallation or removal.

There is chance that user may need to uninstall, remove and then re-install Windows Media Player 12, such as to fix WMP corruption (possibly due to attempt to downgrade or convert WMP12 to WMP11), or to reset and re-configure Windows Media Player.

For WMP 12 in Windows 7, here’s the steps to uninstall or re-install Windows Media Player and Windows Media Center (which will be removed if WMP is removed as it relies on WMP).

1. Click on Start button, and open Control Panel -> Programs -> Programs and Features.
2. Click on Turn Windows features on or off in the left pane.

# Expand Media Features.
# Uncheck (untick) check box for Windows Media Player.
# Click Yes to continue when prompted with dialog box saying:

The following Windows features will also be turned off because they are dependent on Windows Media Player. Do you want to continue?

Windows Media Center
Other Windows features and programs installed on your computer might also be affected, including default settings

Click OK to remove WMP and WMC, and quit.

7. Restart computer.

To re-install Windows Media Player and/or Windows Media Center again, follow these steps:

1. Open Turn Windows features on or off again.
2. Check (tick) the checkbox for Windows Media Player and/or Windows Media Center.
3. Restart computer.
4. Windows Media Player 12 will be reinstate and reset. Launch Windows Media Player, and re-initialize the program.

Tip: If for some reason the re-installation of WMP and WMC is not clean, once uninstalled, try go to %ProgramFiles% (and %ProgramFiles(x86)% for 64-bit OS) folder, and delete the Windows Media Player folder.

source: mydigitallife.info